A Canberra jury is getting ready to consider its verdict in a case that lifts the lid on the city’s bikie sub-culture.
Most of the trial has been held in secret, with no media or public present, to protect witnesses in the case.
But some details have finally emerged, as the trial moves into its final stages.
Comancheros Christopher Millington and Aofangatukau Langi are accused of a violent home invasion where shots were fired and a house set alight.
The pair are accused of shooting through a bathroom door at rival bikie Alex Miller who was cowering inside.
A police officer told the court a 32-caliber bullet was recovered but no matching gun has been found.
Bikies allegedly sought revenge for patching over
Prosecutor Anthony Williamson told the jury there were two motives.
He said Mr Miller had recently patched over to another outlaw motorcycle club, and Mr Millington was out for revenge after he believed Mr Miller had torched his Mercedes.
Police evidence has revealed the pair had been under surveillance in the weeks leading up to the attack, with a listening device in Mr Millington’s Mazda and undercover police following the pair.
During the conversations played to the court, Mr Millington can be heard most, discussing what he would like to do to Mr Miller.
“I am going to f*** him up,” Mr Millington can be heard saying.
“Cut his fingers off man.
“Just two fingers, so he can’t ever hold a piece.”
Mr Williamson told the jury there was no hiding the truth about the victim.
“Alex Miller is a seasoned criminal,” Mr Williamson said.
“He is a bikie, he is a drug dealer, he is a fraudster, he has previously possessed firearms, he has previously committed acts of arson; in the past, he has no doubt engaged in no shortage of dishonest behaviour.
“But this does not mean that he is outside the protection of the law, he has a right not to be the subject of those unsolicited acts of violence.”
Second bikie denies involvement
The two men are facing three main charges.
Mr Millington has pleaded guilty to being at the home, but not to endangering life by lighting the fire.
Mr Langi has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Mr Williamson told the jury its main task will be deciding Mr Langi’s involvement.
“Mr Millington admits by virtue of his plea that he was there and he participated in that home invasion,” he said.
“So for the most part, I suspect you will be focusing on deciding whether or not the accused Langi was one of the intruders involved in this home invasion.”
The court has heard Mr Langi was sergeant-at-arms of the local Comanchero Motorcycle Club, which Mr Williamson said gave him a reason to be there.
“It is the responsibility of the sergeant-at-arms of an OMCG club to enforce the club’s rules, with violence where necessary,” Mr Williamson said.
“The crown says that … it was ultimately the responsibility of the accused, Langi, to mete out discipline using violence upon Mr Miller for his sin of patching over.”
But Mr Langi’s lawyer Jack Pappas told the jury there were other possibilities.
Mr Pappas told the jury Mr Langi was a bikie and still is, but that did not mean he was involved.
He said even the taped conversations in the car show he played a minimal role in the chatter.
“The police and the Director of Public Prosecutions have a theory … that this incident, this home invasion, was all to do with patching over,” he said.
“In reality was Mr Langi expressing his own great desire to hurt Mr Miller, to do anything to him, to invade his home? Or was he just going along with the mad ravings of Mr Millington?”
Mr Pappas also pointed to other key evidence from CCTV footage from neighbouring properties, and witnesses, who described a group of teenagers going in and running from the scene.
As a result, Mr Langi was made to stand up in front of the jury to show how large he is, the jury hearing that at the time of the home invasion he had been even bigger.
Mr Pappas said the CCTV footage shows four people running away.
“Are they large, stout men like Mr Langi or something a bit more resembling a young sprightly gentleman?” he asked the jury.
The trial is expected to wrap up tomorrow.
